


Stargazing

by Burgie



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: F/M, Hyur WoL, female WoL
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-06
Updated: 2020-01-06
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:54:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,035
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22151374
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Burgie/pseuds/Burgie
Summary: Hien and Eden talk about stars. Eden belongs to ZealousDawn
Relationships: Hien Rijin/Warrior of Light
Kudos: 17





	Stargazing

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ZealousDawn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZealousDawn/gifts).



“Lord Hien?” Hien turned his head, gracing the young woman behind him with a smile.

“Eden,” he chided gently. “How many times must I tell you that you don’t need to call me that?”

“You tell everyone that, though,” said Eden, her cheeks flushing in the moonlight as she knelt down beside her lord. Her boyfriend. A fact that was still enough to bring tears to her eyes. Even after bursting into tears in front of him.

“That, my dear, is because I mean it,” said Hien. “It… is almost embarrassing, really. I want the people to see me as an equal, not as someone better than them. Someone to impress, to use as a pawn.”

“I can’t think of anyone who would want to use you as a pawn,” said Eden. “Well… maybe certain gods. Or Xaela. Ascians.” She shook her head, that strange look Hien had come to know so well briefly crossing her features before it fell away. “Not in this timeline though. I think.” Hien chuckled, though not unkindly, and wound an arm around Eden. She was wearing such a thin robe, even though the weather was nice out here on the Steppe. She melted into his warmth, though, and Hien had to wonder if this wasn’t another of her tricks to get him to pay attention to her. Not that she needed to do that. He would gladly hand over his robe even if she didn’t ‘accidentally’ leave her own at home.

“Will you ever tell me what you mean by other timelines?” Hien asked as Eden snuggled into his side.

“You don’t need to worry about it,” said Eden, resting her head on his shoulder. Her gaze caught the stars, strewn about the sky before her. On the Steppe, with its lack of any huge mountains except for those on either side of it, the sky seemed to reach the very blades of grass.

“Beautiful, is it not?” Hien asked, catching her gaze. Eden nodded, eyes full with some emotion that he couldn’t quite pinpoint.

“The stars are the same in every timeline,” said Eden. “Well, kind of. Some still have an extra moon in the sky.”

“I’d imagine that they are,” said Hien. He suddenly withdrew his arm from Eden, flopping down onto his back. Eden watched him, startled, before throwing herself down beside him, landing half-on him so that his breastplate emitted a hollow ‘clonk’.

“Ow,” Eden muttered, rubbing her head. Hien gazed at her in concern, sitting up so that Eden fell back onto the ground with another ‘ow’.

“Are you okay?” Hien asked. Eden couldn’t help it. Her shoulders shook, her eyes watered with tears, and she let out a snort of laughter that quickly turned into raucous laughter that seemed to echo for malms.

“Sorry,” said Eden, still grinning, shoulders still shaking, tears of mirth still standing in violet eyes. “I just- that was supposed to be a romantic moment.”

“Did you perhaps hit your head a little too hard?” Hien asked. Eden shook her head, still laughing.

“No, it’s fine, I’m fine,” said Eden, giggles still on her breath. “I haven’t laughed so hard in ages.”

“Well, glad I am to know that you find it amusing,” said Hien. Eden giggled, shaking her head. “I didn’t want you to see those kinds of stars.” That set Eden off again, arms wrapping around her stomach as laughter shook her body.

“Stop, my cheeks hurt,” said Eden. “I don’t wanna laugh my way to abs!”

“Whyever not? It’s how I did it,” said Hien. Eden snickered, the giggles slowly dying away. “But here, allow me to kiss your hurts away.”

“That’s the oldest line in the book,” said Eden.

“Ah, but you are speaking to the one who wrote the book,” said Hien, still grinning at her. Eden shook her head, though she gladly accepted the kiss upon the side of her head that Hien pressed there. It was starting to throb a little, which was concerning, but she’d endured worse and lived. Next, Hien placed kisses upon her cheeks, followed by her stomach.

“If you blow a raspberry, I’ll-“ Eden started, but the grin on Hien’s face was the only warning she got. “Hien!” The blissful silence of the Steppe was suddenly broken by a very rude noise, followed by gales of laughter. Hien’s own laughter was interrupted by a yelp as he suddenly found himself shoved off Eden and onto his back before his girlfriend hovered over him.

“Eden?” Hien asked.

“I can do you one better than that,” said Eden, a flirtatious tone entering her voice. Hien watched as Eden lowered her lips down, swiping her tongue over them, smoothed aside his robe, and… repeated the same trick that Hien had used on her.

“The Lord of Doma does not make such a noise,” said Hien. Eden snorted.

“The Lord of Doma makes some very interesting noises in his sleep, too,” said Eden. Hien gaped at her, eyes wide.

“I- but-“ He pouted. “Fine. But can we be serious for a moment?”

“I don’t even know the meaning of that word,” said Eden, though she did flop down beside him again, this time not braining herself on his breastplate.

“When we were younger, we often used to stargaze like this,” said Hien, a hand stroking over Eden’s long black hair.

“Did it usually also have us wrestling with each other and making fart noises?” Eden asked. Hien chuckled, shaking his head.

“Of course,” said Hien. “Glad I am to know that that much, at least, has not changed.”

“What else did we do when we were younger?” Eden asked, wistfully now.

“Many things,” said Hien, gazing into her eyes, for once ignoring the stars above. He lay with his hands laced together over his stomach, Eden doing the same. “We would play all of the games that other children played. You were especially fond of the game wherein we’d pretend to be married already.”

“I bet I was,” said Eden. “But who played the husband, I wonder?” Hien closed his eyes, a smile spreading across his face. When he opened them again, he instead turned his eyes back to the sky, glittering like a diamond-strewn piece of velvet.

“During my time on the Steppe, I often came out here to gaze up at the stars,” said Hien. “I’d remember those nights. Remember when times were simpler. Before Garlemald invaded.” Eden reached up a thumb to wipe away a tear from the corner of his eye. “All that time, I missed you. Wondered about you. Worried about you.”

“I hope the wait was worth it,” said Eden, her voice husky.

“Aye, that it was,” said Hien, his voice equally husky. He wrapped his arms around Eden, pulling her closer to him, resting his head against her own.

“Do you know any of the constellations?” Eden asked. “Because I sure as heck don’t.”

“The Xaela have different constellations, and we Domans do not worship the same gods that you may have come across in Eorzea,” said Hien. “However, as any good young prince should, I studied the foreign constellation maps. Mostly out of self-interest, really. Foreign dignitaries would not easily be impressed by a young lord’s knowledge of the night sky.”

“I might be,” said Eden. “Even if I’m neither of those things.”

“Well…” Hien’s eyes roved the sky above him until he found what he was looking for, pointing out a constellation. “The Bole, or the world tree. Known as the tree from which all life springs.”

“Like the astrologian card?” Eden asked, trying to make out a tree in the cluster of stars. Astrologians possessed that rare gift, apparently, but they just looked like stars to her. Beautiful stars, though.

“I suppose so, yes,” said Hien. “Shall I show you the rest?”

“Yes please,” said Eden, smiling as she watched Hien point to another one. His voice washed over her, warming her from her very soul, as he spoke of the constellations and what they meant. Maybe she wasn’t paying proper attention, maybe it was very late, maybe the laughter from earlier had tired her out, or maybe his honeyed voice lulled her to sleep but…

The next thing Eden knew, she was being carried away from the Steppe in the arms of her beloved, her betrothed, her boyfriend. She lifted her head from his chest, looking up at him. So strong. So regal. He had grass stuck in his hair.

“You’ve got grass stuck in your hair,” Eden announced.

“Well, good morning to you too,” said Hien.

“it’s not morning,” Eden protested. But, as she looked away from Hien’s face at last, she found that, indeed, the sky around them was lightening to dawn. Already, there was a subtle tinge of pink above the mountains.

“Is it Nhaama or Azim the Xaela of the dawn?” Eden asked.

“That would be Azim,” said Hien. “And let me tell you, the Mol don’t talk about Nhaama half as much as a certain au ra male we both have the misfortune of knowing.” Eden giggled.

“Is that why you went to the Mol for help rather than anyone else?” Eden asked.

“You have met the other tribes, haven’t you?” Hien asked. “The others would sooner kill a weakling than suffer him to live, even if he were only weak due to being injured and on death’s door.”

“I’ll be forever grateful for the Mol for saving you,” said Eden.

“Aye, and I will as well,” said Hien. “But for now, we must be returning to the Enclave. There is much to do.”

“If there’s so much to do, why did you suddenly vanish to the Steppe?” Eden asked. “I was so worried for a while there, you’re lucky I can teleport to aetherytes.”

“You mean you didn’t fly here on your yol?” Hien asked. “The flight here is truly beautiful, something to be experienced.”

“Listen, I panicked and I didn’t even think about that,” said Eden. “I just heard you were gone and did the first thing that came to mind. You’d do the same if it were me!”

“You do have a point,” said Hien, nodding. “Very well, I will tell you the next time I feel the need to escape from all of my responsibilities.”

“You’d better, and take me with you,” said Eden. “You know I miss you when you’re gone or when I’m called away elsewhere.”

“Tis not an easy thing, to be betrothed to a Warrior of Light or a lord of Doma,” said Hien. “Nor is it easy to be one.”

“Hey, you only have to deal with stupid Garleans and people mad at you, we keep getting dragged halfway across the world to fight battles because people are stupid. And because beast tribes keep summoning gods,” said Eden.

“Well, now I’m glad that Doma doesn’t share your primal problem,” said Hien. “Though, come to think of it, I was always glad of that, from the moment that I heard about it.”

“You’re very lucky,” said Eden. “But at least I don’t have to worry about you getting killed while I’m away.”

“No, then I am the fretting boyfriend at home,” said Hien. “Would that I could fight these primals with you.”

“I’m actually glad that you don’t have to,” said Eden.

“Will you perform the teleportation incantation?” Hien asked as they arrived at the aetheryte in Reunion.

“Fine,” said Eden. “Since your yol probably can’t support both of us.” Hien smiled at her, and continued smiling even as the teleportation magicks swirled around them, transporting them on the aether as their lips touched.

“Oh, I see you found him!” said the young woman who ran the Enclave restoration stand upon the two landing in the plaza.

“We ended up spending the night where he was,” said Eden, and Hien gave her a grateful smile that she hadn’t given away the place that he went for some relaxation.

“Well, I hope you rested well, because there’s always a lot to do here,” said the woman.

“I know,” said Hien, giving Eden a knowing smile. There was no rest for the wicked. Even if they were a Doman prince.


End file.
